Trump has urged Ukraine to drop its NATO aspirations and Crimea claim before his scheduled meeting with President Zelenskiy.
Trump has urged Ukraine to drop its NATO aspirations and Crimea claim before his scheduled meeting with President Zelenskiy.
US President Donald Trump has told Ukraine to abandon hopes of reclaiming annexed Crimea or joining NATO as he prepares to host President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders in Washington on Monday, pressing Kyiv to accept a peace deal with Russia.
After welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Trump has shifted focus to urging Ukraine to embrace a settlement aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest war in 80 years, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
According to the White House, Trump will first meet Zelenskiy before holding talks with leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union and NATO. European leaders are travelling to Washington to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine and demand strong security guarantees in any post-war arrangement.
Trump’s team emphasised on Sunday that both sides must make compromises, but the president placed the responsibility on Zelenskiy to end the conflict. His stance on NATO and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014 under Barack Obama’s presidency, signaled tough talks ahead.
“Zelenskiy can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE.”
Concerns remain in Kyiv and among its allies that Trump could force through terms favourable to Moscow. Yet some reassurance has come from his apparent openness to providing Ukraine with security guarantees once a settlement is reached.
Even so, Zelenskiy has already dismissed the main proposals Putin presented during their Alaska meeting, including demands for Ukraine to relinquish control over the rest of the Donetsk region, of which Kyiv currently controls a quarter.
The Ukrainian president is pushing instead for an immediate ceasefire to pave the way for deeper peace talks. While Trump once supported that position, he reversed course after meeting Putin, aligning with Russia’s preference for negotiating a comprehensive deal while fighting continues.
The White House said Trump will meet Zelenskiy at 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT) in the Oval Office, followed by a joint session with European leaders at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) in the East Room.
Upon his arrival in Washington late on Sunday, Zelenskiy expressed gratitude for the invitation, while reiterating Kyiv’s firm stance. “We all equally want to end this war swiftly and reliably,” he said on Telegram. “Russia must end this war — the war it started. And I hope that our shared strength with America and with our European friends will compel Russia to real peace.”
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched fresh overnight missile and drone attacks, striking Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, near the Russian border. Officials confirmed seven people, including two children, were killed.
“They hit an ordinary apartment block, many flats, many families were living here, small children, children’s playground, residential compound, there are no offices here or anything else, we lived here peacefully in our homes,” said resident Olena Yakusheva as firefighters battled flames and rescue crews searched through rubble.
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